Tool for applying guides to ropes and cables



April 7, 1934. D. c. SHERMAN 1,955,341

TOOLFOR APPLYING GUIDES TO ROPES AND CABLES Filed Feb. 1, 1953 Patented Apr. 17, 1934 TOOL FOR APPLYING GUIDES TO RQPES AND CABLES Delmar C. Sherman, Chicago, 111., assignor to Williamsport Wire Rope Company, Williamsport, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 1, 1933, Serial No. 654,755

2 Claims.

3 closed in my prior patent referred to.

The present invention relates to mechanisms for the attachment of guides to wire ropes and the removal or detachment of such guides.

In my prior Patent No. 1,774,616, granted September 2, 1930, is disclosed and claimed a twopart guide for wire ropes, such guide being attachable to a wire rope at any point along its len th by forcing the mating sections of such guide into interlocking engagement by relative movements parallel to the axis of the rope. Guides of the type disclosed in the patent referred to are applied principally to ropes used in the operation of oil field pumps, these ropes being of considerable length and extending from ground level to a pump located at or toward the bottom of a cylindrical metallic well tubing. In the operation of the pump, the rope is alternately drawn upwardly and then allowed to fall, and it is important that it be protected against injury resulting from contact of its outer strands with the tubing.

Well tubings of great depth are generally not straight so that any rope extending from the ground level to the oil pump would naturally contact with the tubing over a considerable portion of its length unless means is provided for preventing this contact. The rope guide shown and described in my prior patent is particularly useful for this purpose, having the capacity to hold the rope spaced from the well tubing at all times and to take the wear incident to sliding friction. These guides may be applied successively to the rope at spaced intervals as the rope is introduced into the tubing and may be detached successively as the rope is removed from the tubing and coiled upon a drum.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an apparatus or tool for conveniently applying or detaching the rope guides fully dis- The tool includes two spaced elements, adapted to be positicned on opposite sides of the rope and provided with guide engaging surfaces, together with means for drawing these elements toward each other axially, of the rope to effect either interlocking engagement or disengagement oi the parts of the rope guide, as may be desired.

In the accompanying drawing, one form of tool for carrying out the stated function is disclosed and will be hereinafter described in detail. will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, however, that in designing a tool for the manipulation of guides of different specific types and shapesthe design and arrangement of its component elements may be considerably varied.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the tool;

Figures 2 and 3 are two views of one of the guide engaging elements of the tool;

Figures 4 and 5 show the tool in two different positions which it successively occupies in the operation of applying a rope guide to a wire rope; and

Figures 6 and '7 are two similar views but showing the positions which the tool occupies successively in detaching a guide.

The embodiment of the invention selected by way of example for illustration comprises essentially a handle portion generally indicated at 10,

a link portion indicated at 11, and two guide engaging portions indicated at 16 and 17 respectively. As may be seen most clearly from Figure 1, the handle 10 is formed of two members,

which members are riveted together for the V the spaced parallel members of the link. The

bolt i l is positioned adjacent the extreme end of the lever and is provided at one end with a removable nut to permit its ready removal and hence the disassembly of the link 11 and handle 10. It will further be observed that the spaced members of the link are provided with two sets of aligned apertures 11 and 11 the bolt 14 being adapted to pass through either set.

Positioned between the spaced ends of the members which together comprise the handle is a guide engaging element or portion 16, and a similar element 1'7 is positioned between the free ends of the members which comprise the link. Both members 16 and 1'? are so formed as to have surfaces adapted to engage the end and side of one portion of the two-part guide, which is generally indicated at G. These members are also provided with coaxial trunnions extending therefrom in opposite directions and whereby they are pivotally connected, one to theend of the lever and the other to the end of the link.

For a further and complete description of the guide itself, reference may be had to Patent No. 1,774,616, previously referred to, and will therefore be only briefly described herein. It comprises two cooperating sections which are preferably identical in design and construction. By moving these sections toward each other axially of the rope, they are caused to firmly interlock and at the same time firmly grip the rope so as to be immovable thereon. The outer surface of the assembled guide unit is generallycylindrical and presents a smooth surface to the well tubing to facilitate sliding movements thereagainst.

The two sections of the guide are so constructed that, as they are moved axially into interlocking engagement, they are caused to also approach each other radially to firmly clamp the rope and to preferably slightly bend or kink the salne. The forces applied to the guide sections to effect interlocking engagement should therefore, if possible, be inclined inwardly toward the axis of the rope so as to have components radial to the rope axis as well as parallel to the rope axis. Furthermore, in the separation of the sections of the guides it is highly advantageous to have acting opposed radial forces, as well as forces parallel to the rope axis, as these forces tend to relieve the pressure between the mutually engaging inclined surfaces of the guide during disassembly, thus reducing the frictional opposition to relative axial sliding movement.

The tool just described applies to each guide section not only the necessary force parallel to the rope axis but also the desired radial force. As is obvious, the action of lever 10 and link 11 tends to draw the guide engaging jaws together along a line connecting these jaws and intersecting the rope axis. The force applied to each guide section therefore is inclined and may be resolved into a component parallel to the rope axis and an inward radial force. Each jaw or force applying element has a portion to engage the end of the adjacent guide section and a portion to engage the side thereof so that it may apply both components of the force imparted to it by the lever and link during operation of the tool, both when the guide is being assembled and when it is being disassembled.

When a cable is lowered into a well tubing, it is necessary to successively attach the guides one after the other, sometimes at rather frequent intervals. The rope is either passed through the space between the parallel members of the link, or the belt 14 is removed and replaced after these members have been arranged so as to enclose the rope, the rope in any event passing downwardly through the tool. When it is desired to apply one of the guides, the portions thereof are placed end to end as shown in Figure 4, and the guide portion engaging elements of the tool are positioned as shown. By exerting a downward pressure on the end of the handle 10, the guide engaging elements are drawn toward each other axially of the rope and the two portions of the guide caused to have similar movements. This operation is continued until the two parts of the guide are completely assembled and interlocked as shown in Figure 5. The guide engaging elements may then be disengaged and a further length of rope passed through the tool, whereupon another guide may be applied in a similar manner.

The operation of placing a complete series of guides upon a cable may be quickly and rapidly effected. It will be observed that the tool is arranged for the application of guides with the bolt 14 in the aligned apertures 11 of the link members, thus providing a link of maximum length. The cable is usually of such diameter as to be comparatively stiff and, especially when it is under tension, need not be braced in any manner as the tool is operated to assemble a guide. Should the cable be of small diameter and relatively pliable and not be under tension, it may be necessary to brace or hold the rope in some manner.

As a cable is withdrawn, the operation is reversed; i. e., the guides are successively removed in order that the cable may be freely coiled upon a drum. In this event, the bolt 14 is caused to extend through the aligned apertures 11 of the link, thus shortening the effect've length of the link. The guide engaging elements of the tool are caused to engage different portions of the guide sections, as clearly shown in Figures 6 and 7, so that, upon downward movement of the lever 10, these portions are axially separated to such distance that they may be readily disengaged. In Figure '7 of the drawing, the tool is shown just after it has completed a disengaging operation.

The guide engaging elements 16 and 17 may be formed in various ways for guides of different configuration. For manipulating guides of the type disclosed in my prior patent, the elements are formed as shown in the drawing, each having a portion adapted to engage the curved side of a guide and a portion adapted to engage the end thereof. Needless to say, during the actual operations of applying or removing guides, these elements 16 and 17 rock relatively to the lever and link upon which they are mounted, the surfaces thereof which engage the sides of the guide section respectively remaining at all times parallel to the axis of the cable.

The lever and link may be formed in various ways of which those shown in the drawing are examples.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A tool for attaching a two-part guide to a rope or cable by moving the parts of such guide toward each other in directions substantially parallel to the axis of the rope and into interlocking engagement with each other, and for detaching such guides by relatively moving the parts thereof in the reverse directions so as to disengage them, said tool comprising two guide part engaging elements, each of which has surfaces for the engagement of the side and end of a guide part, and mechanism upon which said elements are mounted and by means of which they may be drawn toward each other to simultaneously apply oppositely directed forces to the parts of the guide.

2. A tool for attaching a two-part guide to a rope or cable by moving the parts of such guide toward each other in directions substantially parallel to the axis of the rope and into interlocking engagement with each other, and for de taching such guides by relatively moving the parts thereof in the reverse directions so as to disengage them, said tool comprising two guide part engaging elements, each of which has surfaces for the engagement of the side and end of a guide part respectively, and mechanism upon which said elements are mounted and by means of which they are drawn toward each other to simultaneously apply oppositely directed forces to the parts of the guide said mechanism including parallel links between the ends of which one of said elements is pivotally supported, and a lever to the end of which the other element is pivotally connected, said links being also pivotally connected to said lever at a point closely adjacent the pivotal connection of said last mentioned element and lever.

DELMAR C. SHERMAN. 

